Post a news story, entertain me!

I wish they would stop just putting "Super" in front of diseases but I am not in charge of naming

Super Gonorrhea Has Reached the U.S.

Super gonorrhea has infected people in the United States for the first known time. This week, Massachusetts public health officials announced the discovery of two gonorrhea cases appearing to display increased resistance to all known antibiotic classes that can be used against it. These cases were thankfully still curable, but it’s the latest reminder that this common sexually transmitted infection is becoming a more serious threat.

Gonorrhea, caused by the namesake bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is the second most commonly reported STI in the U.S., with 677,769 cases documented in 2020. Many infected people don’t experience illness, but initial symptoms can include a discolored discharge from the genitals, painful or burning urination, and rectal bleeding if caught from anal sex. When gonorrhea is left untreated, it raises the risk of more serious complications, like damage to the reproductive tract in women and swollen testicles in men, both of which can lead to infertility. And when it’s passed down from mother to child, the infection can be fatal or cause blindness in newborns.

Millennials And Gen Xers Are Not Crazy – Baby Boomers Had It Easier Financially And A Big Reason Is Student Debt

A new study finds that Gen X and Millennial families do have it harder than the previous generation did at the same age– in terms of home ownership, debt levels, and retirement planning. When comparing Gen X and Baby Boomer families at mid-career (ages 39 to 54), Gen Xers were less likely to own a home or have any form of retirement plans compared to Boomers of the same ages. The same pattern held true when comparing Millennial and Gen X families during their early-career (ages of 25 to 36), with the rising burden of student debt playing a key role in both of these generational declines.

The study was conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a research nonprofit based in Washington D.C. backed by large employers, and is based on data from the Federal Reserve’s authoritative Survey of Consumer Finances collected in 2001 for Baby Boomers and Gen X, and 2019 for Gen X and Millennials.

EBRI aimed to look beyond retirement savings (where comparisons are skewed by the country’s shift from traditional defined benefit pension plans to defined contributions plans like 401ks) to broader measures of financial health, including debt and non-retirement assets. That’s not surprising, given that the big employers who back EBRI are increasingly moving beyond just offering 401(k)s to using financial wellness and student debt payoff programs to attract young workers.

“Generation X and Millennial families are faced with the growing challenge of balancing debt and expenses while also needing to save for retirement,” said Craig Copeland, EBRI Senior Research Associate and author of the report. “These generations may need to take significant actions, including working longer, saving more, and paying down debt, just to gain parity with previous generations.”

Rising student loan debt is a major component keeping younger generations from accumulating the wealth they’ll need for retirement, with student loan incidence almost doubling to 42% of Millennial families between the ages of 25 and 36, compared to 24% of Gen X families of those ages. Even more starkly, the incidence of student loan debt among Baby Boomer families aged 39-54 sat at 11%, while Gen X families of those ages had an incidence of 26%.

Net-worth has consistently fallen generation by generation, as the value of assets held by Gen X and Millennials compared to older generations dwindles down, coupled with heavier debt burdens. Between the ages of 25 and 36, Gen X families had a median net worth of $32,000. At this same age range, the median net worth for Millennial families stood at $23,000. This, in spite of Millennials holding a higher median balance in defined contribution retirement plans, and having higher median home equity values ($55,000 for Millennial families between the ages of 25 and 36 versus $40,000 for Gen X families of those ages). The largest factor weighing down on Millennials’ net worths is the massive amount of student loan debt amassed by this generation – a trend powered by the rising costs of college tuition and greater demand for higher education now that more careers require a university degree, or even a graduate degree.

The study also shines light on racial disparities that have persisted across generations and the particular burden student debt has created for Black Millennials.. Early career Black Gen X families’ median net worth in 2001 was the lowest of all racial/ethnic groups, at $14,000. But this racial disparity has only gotten worse: Black Millennial families' median net worth is only $1,790—again, far lower than that of their White and Hispanic counterparts. This decrease is likely driven by the fact that the student loan debt of Black Millennial families is more than double that of White, non-Hispanic families. Black Millennial family student loan debt comprises 42.8 percent of their debt — more than a five-fold increase from the proportion of student loan debt of Black Generation X families at the same age, who had a greater proportion of mortgage and credit card debt.

There is some good news in this area – home ownership among Black Gen X families was higher than what that racial group saw in the Baby Boom generation. However, home ownership incidence among Black Millennial families was less than half that of Black Gen X families at the same age, with 21.9% and 43.2% incidences respectively, the largest generational drop in home ownership of any racial group recorded in the study.

Not surprising but I love frozen pizza so it kind of hurts

Ultraprocessed foods linked to ovarian and other cancer deaths, study finds

Now, I admit I've always been biased against St. Paul but, even after looking at the numbers, I don't understand how they are ranked ahead of Minneapolis. Also, the fact that the 'Moderate Weather' and 'Air Quality' numbers are significantly different for two cities that literally touch each other makes me question the whole thing.

Shoes Carry Poop Bacteria Into NYC Buildings, Study Finds

Time to follow Mr Rogers and change shoes when going inside

farley3k wrote:

Shoes Carry Poop Bacteria Into NYC Buildings, Study Finds

Time to follow Mr Rogers and change shoes when going inside

The Western insistence on wearing shoes indoors is weird.

Probably stems from a few centuries of rough wood planking, plus an aversion to disrobing for reasons of health and religion that lasted into the 19th century. That, and animals often lived on the lower floors of a house, again for over a thousand years. Old habits die hard.

I'm wearing shoes in my living room right now.

Robear wrote:

Probably stems from a few centuries of rough wood planking, plus an aversion to disrobing for reasons of health and religion that lasted into the 19th century. That, and animals often lived on the lower floors of a house, again for over a thousand years. Old habits die hard.

I'm wearing shoes in my living room right now.

Even my dog gets her feet wet wiped when she comes back in the house.

We take our shoes off at the door. We have some house shoes because hardwood floors can get chilly

Tell me you have a gambling problem without telling me you have a gambling problem.

All I know is next Royal Rumble some surprise jobber is going to win and a whole bunch of people will get rich off a ton of marks.

They can call it the "Omerta" bill. No one asks any awkward questions, ain't gonna be no awkward disappearances.

Paleocon wrote:
farley3k wrote:

Shoes Carry Poop Bacteria Into NYC Buildings, Study Finds

Time to follow Mr Rogers and change shoes when going inside

The Western insistence on wearing shoes indoors is weird.

American.

Up here in Soviet Canuckistan, we take our shoes off at the door.

It's not a uniformly American thing. I don't do it and no friends or family I've ever visited have ever done it.

My extended family always have. I'm not sure why. But I don't see any issues with it. Sure, you have to keep the floors clean, but that taken to an extreme can reduce your exposure to outside biomes, which can be a real risk for your immune system if you manage to reduce the amount of germs you bring in by too much. Having some dust and dirt dragged in from outside on a regular basis is actually healthy.

No one's trying to say you should treat your house like a cleanroom, just take your shoes off at the door so you don't track mud & dirt all over the house.

I get it, I just have met people who go overboard.

Depends on your floor coverings.

Carpet? Take your damn shoes off.

Hardwoods? Eh whatever.

Wasn't there some NYC fashionista that created a ruckus, saying "I will NEVER take my shoes off in your house" after that study was publish showing just how much dog poop can be tracked inside?

Most of the houses I've been in have been hardwood floors, with some rugs. That might play into it.